"Preservation and restoration of our heritage is a great challenge as once a historical monument, handicraft, painting or document is lost, it is lost forever," Pahadia said at a function here.
India has more than 5,000-year-old rich and ancient heritage. There are about 6,000 monuments protected by Archaeological Survey of India and more than one lakh antiques in museums, he said.
Union Culture Minister Chandresh Kumari Katoch said a focused approach to conservation and restoration techniques to help preserve the richness of the country's heritage was required.
